What do you do?
My main role is to manage all of Plusnet’s Business services ranging from SME services sold via www.plus.net, through to strategic partnerships and third parties.
What is your inspiration in business?
At the risk of this sounding like a cliché, my inspirations centre around our customers and people. My team and I strive to offer the highest levels of service to our customers from day to day operation through to developing new products and services to help our customers grow and realise their potential.
I’m equally passionate about developing people and believe a company’s strongest asset is its people. Creating an environment which fosters talent, encourages personal development and more importantly makes everyone feel they can play a vital role in the continued success of a business makes for a motivated and happy workplace.
Whom do you admire?
Seth Godin. I’ve read endless books and articles on management styles, how to grow your business bibles etc, but two of Seth Godin’s titles, Purple Cow and Permission Marketing just made sense. In fact you could say it was a eureka moment!
The way he highlighted the need to constantly strive to improve, innovate, listen and engage with your customers and in particular people resonated with me and I’d like to think I’ve taken this insight into my everyday working life.
Looking back, are there things you would have done differently?
I’ve been at Plusnet for 12 years. This is not because I lack of ambition or a desire to try new challenges indeed it’s because Plusnet has enabled me to continue to challenge myself and grow my career.
I appreciate I could have learned different things by moving to other companies and experiencing different working environments, cultures and business challenges but I don’t think I would have grown my business understanding.
What defines your way of doing business?
Honesty, simplicity and teamwork. My approach is always to try and avoid unnecessary complexity and to adopt a simple and honest approach with my customers.
Being honest in what you can/can’t achieve sets clear expectations and everyone knows where they stand. Without that understanding you don’t have a framework on which to work together and succeed.
What advice would you give?
You can always improve, no matter how good you or your customers think you are. Never sit still and rest on your laurels else competitors will come and surprise you.
